The Tar Heels have made a late addition to their 2024 roster in the form of the JUCO running back.
Charleston French, a transfer from Itawamba Community College, was on campus this weekend for an official visit where an offer was officially extended to him according to Inside Carolina. He committed on the spot and will enroll and join the team on Monday. French will have three years of eligibility remaining plus a redshirt year if he needs it.
Last year in his lone season at Itawamba CC, French ran for 924 yards and eight touchdowns and on 180 carries and caught eight passes for 46 yards in nine games with the team. That followed a massive senior season at the high school level where he ran for 1,642 yards and 28 touchdowns on 178 carries.
At 5’9, 205 lbs., French packs a good combination of speed and power. He is very decisive and does a good job of seeing the holes even when they don’t develop immediately. The biggest question with him is going to be the learning curve involved with going from the JUCO level to the P4 level, but this is a worthy flier to take with the need for depth in the backfield.
This move gives the Tar Heels some much needed depth in the backfield for the next few years. With the struggles that the team has had adding a running back on the 2025 recruiting trail and three members of this year’s room likely leaving after this season, this was sorely needed. At the least, French’s addition takes the pressure off the team to land their lone remaining target at the position in tje 2025 class.